


burning brightly

by nickofhearts



Series: jar of hearts [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Dread Noctis, Dubious Consent, M/M, Muzzles, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-11 07:04:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10458282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nickofhearts/pseuds/nickofhearts
Summary: Noctis gets turned into a were-behemoth.





	1. Here Be Monsters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamingcicadas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingcicadas/gifts).



> For the sweetest of the sweet! ♥

**I.**

" _Fuck!_ " Noct swore, when he was knocked flat on his ass by Deadeye for a third time. He quickly warped out of the way when the behemoth followed up with a charge attack, aiming for where Noct had fallen. The higher vantage point let him scope out the rest of the battlefield and see where everyone was positioned; Noct made eye contact with Ignis, who maneuvered so Deadeye was standing right beside an explosive barrel when Noct let loose with a fire spell.

"Alright!" Prompto cheered as the fell beast was defeated. "We're alive! Let's celebrate by eating something dead!"

Noct rolled his eyes, tossing back a potion. The scratches where Deadeye had swiped him with its claws itched, but the feeling dissipated in the wake of refreshing coolness as the potion healed him. Noct stretched his arms out, yawning. He was ready for a nap.

"Take the wheel?" he asked Ignis, tossing him the keys.

"Of course, your highness." Ignis adjusted his glasses with a knowing expression.

-

Noct was feeling less fine as darkness fell, a weird energy that made him want to _run,_ though the exercise had never appealed to him before, no matter how much Gladio tried to interest him in daily morning jogs. 

Noct shook his head, attributing the strangeness to having slept too long in the afternoon as Ignis drove them back to their motel.

It probably served him right—now he was too restless to sleep even though it was fully dark outside. Noct sighed, idly playing on his phone as he waited for lethargy to kick in. When he only got _more_ alert as the night deepened, he gave that up as a lost cause and headed outside. 

Maybe the fresh air would help settle his nerves.

-

Noct couldn't remember falling asleep, but he must have at some point, because he was naked in a field nowhere _near_ their motel. 

"Shit," he muttered, grabbing a spare set of clothing out of the between-space where he generally kept his weapons. Ignis' eyebrows judged him every time Noct stuck something in there that was less than dignified (they'd almost hit his hairline when Noct had dematerialized a bottle of hairspray), but who was laughing now? Not Noct that was for sure, but at least he wasn't being laughed _at._

He made his way back to the motel, somehow knowing instinctively which way it was, a sixth sense of where the rest of his _pack_ was. 

-

They were cleaning up a pack of spiracorns when hot blood splashed into his face, and Noct couldn't help licking his lips, growling low in his throat as he wanted _more._

The spiracorn neighed, stomping large hooves down, and Noct was a blur that switched out his broadsword for two sleek daggers, getting close enough to slash deep into its neck. 

He wasn't thinking of anything but _eating,_ digging his teeth into the wound as blood poured out. It was _so_ good, but his teeth weren't the right shape for it; Noct groaned, feeling his bones shift, realigning themselves. It _hurt,_ but he was too busy gorging himself on the meat of his kill to pay more attention to it, the feeling of something tearing open on his back, a great shadow that was suddenly cast over him.

By the time he'd been satisfied enough to look up again, everyone was staring at him.

"Holy _shit,_ Noct," Prompto said. He pointed at something behind Noct, and Noct turned his head to look, but there wasn't anything there. 

Ignis chuckled when Noct almost fell over as he tried to twist to twist around to see what everyone else was staring at. "Prompto," he eventually suggested, motioning at his camera.

"Right!" Prompto said, and snapped a picture. He held it up to show Noct—his own face covered in blood, canines sharp and too-long. But the _truly_ incredible thing were the two dark wings that had unfurled from his back, a smaller set beneath them that were perhaps the length of his arms.

Noct blinked. He felt behind himself for the appendages and—okay, that was weird. That was _really_ weird.

-

It wasn't just the wings either. Those had had tripped him up for a while, Noct stumbling around catching them on things and knocking himself over, but then he'd figured out how to work them like another muscle, closing them back up against his back, and then there'd been the _oddest_ sensation of them just melting back into his spine. 

It was the _smell_ of everything, like he could pick out the individual scents of different daemons that had tracked through the underbrush, or just what Gladio had added to his porridge at breakfast, lingering traces of cinnamon.

He could hear better too; there were a group of hunters not far, discussing their prey, and Noctis felt his hackles rise at the thought of it.

He didn't realize he was growling low in his throat until Prompto gave him a strange look. "You okay there, buddy?"

"I'm fine," Noctis answered. He hid his hands behind his back, where his fingers had sharpened into long talons.

 

**II.**

Noctis woke up cold and alone, shivering in a place he didn't recognize. _Where were the others?_ he wondered, and then he remembered: they'd _pushed_ him off the train. 

His wings flared out at the thought, enraged, as he _also_ remembered the long trek he'd made over a frozen tundra, looking for shelter, pushing down the instinct to just transform and _take_ what he could. His wings were the only concession he made, letting them curl around him, the only warmth in a barren landscape.

" _Poor_ Prince Noctis," Ardyn's voice came over the loudspeaker, just as Noctis realized he was in an arena of some sort, _chained_ to the fucking ground. 

He growled, yanking at the chain, but it held. 

"You'll find you can't transform with that collar on," Ardyn informed him with a low chuckle. "That would've come in handy earlier, wouldn't it have, _Noct?_ Your friends seem _terrified_ of you. Even I didn't expect they would've _abandoned_ you so callously."

The wings wrapped around him protectively again at the pain that flashed through him at the thought of it; even _Prompto_ raising his gun against Noctis as if he really _was_ a monster. 

Ardyn laughed. "Well, let's see how you measure up against our _other_ specimen."

-

Noctis was _tired._ Whatever was in the collar that kept him from transforming didn't seem to have an effect on the Armiger, but the arena was some sort of closed dome, no opening for him to warp out of. Noct sliced through the chains as soon as he got a sword in his hand, the gates on four points of the arena simultaneously opening to let a fucking _deluge_ of MTs into it, shambling towards Noctis with their glowing red eyes and creepily synchronized movements, like they shared one hive mind.

After the MTs had been grotesque daemons, misshapen and twisted like nothing he'd seen in the wild. 

Noctis was breathing heavily, straining against the collar that kept him from turning into a beast, though all his instincts _yearned_ for it, to just let loose and crush all the fodder underfoot.

"Now now, Noctis," Ardyn's voice came over the speaker system once more. "You must learn _control._ Is that not why your friends _pushed_ you away?"

Noctis snarled, digging at the collar with his claws. Control was the furthest thing from his mind. He wanted Ardyn's _blood,_ and he wanted it _now._ Noctis felt the beasts' instincts push to the forefront of his thoughts, and he _let_ it. He roared a screaming howl, and then there was blackness.

-

" _Very_ impressive, your majesty." Ardyn said, and he was standing in front of Noctis now, not some untouchable echoing voice that filled the whole room. 

Noctis tried to drag himself to his feet, but his whole body _ached,_ like one gigantic bruise.

Ardyn tsked. "You managed to break through the last collar, but I don't believe you'll be doing that again anytime soon, do you?" He crouched low so he could trail a fingertip over Noctis' face and Noctis snapped his teeth at him, but Ardyn merely took his fingers out of the way, shaking his head disapprovingly. "That's not very _nice,_ Noctis. I thought we might be _friends,_ since you seem to be lacking for them in your current state."

"I don't need _you_ for a friend," Noctis growled back, finding enough energy to get on his knees, but this time Ardyn grabbed his collar and _yanked_ him to his feet, and Noctis had no choice but to brace his hands on Ardyn's chest as his own shaky legs refused to support him.

"I daresay you'd rather have me for a friend than an _enemy,_ dear Noct," Ardyn murmured quietly into his ear, and Noctis shuddered, but didn't argue the point.

"What do you want from me?"

Ardyn smiled; Noctis could hear it in the smug lilt of his voice. "Lacking in manners, but I suppose it'll have to do. I've only ever wanted to _help_ you, Noctis. Haven't I at every point of your journey?"

"You _murdered_ Luna," Noctis bit out, the hurt of that wound still raw and terrible, like a knife stuck through his heart.

"And that was for you also," Ardyn answered, his voice lowering to a register that was almost seductive. "Did you not enjoy the flesh of the Oracle, Noctis? I _do_ remember how ravenously you fell upon it."

Noctis tried to shove himself back, but Ardyn had him in a tight grip. 

It wasn't—he hadn't _wanted_ it, but the taste of it had been _so_ good; the behemoth in him purred in satisfaction at the memory. It hadn't feasted so well before or after, and Noctis felt it becoming _endeared_ towards Ardyn, the earlier prickling anger melting away into sly curiosity, affectionate like a cat. 

" _No,_ " Noctis told it, only realizing he'd said it aloud when Ardyn tilted his head up to gaze upon him with interest.

"I wouldn't let you go hungry, Noctis," he said, a tantalizing offer. "Or try to contain you, like your so-called friends." He pressed a kiss to Noctis' mouth that Noctis didn't resist, but neither did he reciprocate. " _You_ can decide when you want the collar, and when you'd rather— _roam free._ "

Ardyn's smile was wicked, full of temptation, and Noctis could feel the beast inside him curling in satisfaction—this was someone who _understood_ it.

 _No,_ Noctis wanted to say, _should have_ said already, but he didn't have the surety that'd filled him at the beginning of this journey—Ardyn was right that he was lacking in friends. 

Everything he'd known had been proven a lie, from his _father_ seeing him off with a smile when he'd known what was to come, what fate awaited him; to _Gladio,_ who could barely even _look_ at him after everything that happened in Altissia. It seemed even shields could decide that their charges weren't worth protecting. 

Noctis dug his fingers into Ardyn's jacket, fingers that _weren't claws,_ because of Ardyn. It felt like the worst kind of bargain, but at least Ardyn had let him _choose_ to make it.

" _Yes,_ " Noctis said.

 

**III.**

He was stalking some screaming weak thing through the halls of the keep, following the scent of blood it left on the walls wherever it stopped to rest. Noctis could have caught it much earlier, but there wasn't any _fun_ in that. 

He waited until it'd tired itself out, then he _pounced._

" _Noct,_ " it said, putting hands up that Noctis bit deep into. "Noctis, _please._ " It was crying, hiccuping breaths, and Noct bit down harder, breaking the _bone,_ wanting to hear it scream again.

When he was done, there wasn't even a smear on the floors left.

-

"Did you enjoy yourself, Noctis?" Ardyn asked when Noctis prowled back into their room. 

He curled up languidly on the bed, tucking his wings around himself. "Mmmm," he answered, sifting for the words he wanted. " _You_ said you'd be done with those reports by the time I got back." 

Ardyn chuckled, setting the papers aside on the desk. "That I did." 

Noct waved his tail at Ardyn invitingly, and Ardyn took the hint, catching it in his fingers and following it up towards Noctis' body. He reached the base of Noctis' spine and traced it upwards, the sensitive cluster of nerves where Noctis' wings grew from his back. He moaned as Ardyn massaged the muscles there, careful of his wings. 

"What a _lovely_ creature you are, my dear Noctis," Ardyn complimented him, moving up to scritch at the base of his horns, and Noctis tilted his head obligingly, giving him room. 

There was a niggling thought that there was something _wrong_ about this, all of it, but Noctis shoved that to a far corner of his mind. Ardyn made him feel _good,_ and that was all that mattered. He always had something for Noctis to hunt when he was in the mood, and it was always _fun,_ chasing them through the maze of the keep, all the nooks and crannies that Noctis had learned by now, little hiding spots that let him tear into his prey when they were least expecting it. 

Sometimes when Ardyn was of a particular mood, he let Noctis chase _him,_ and that was the most fun of all.

For the moment, Ardyn was murmuring sweet nothings into his skin as he kissed over the sinuous curve of Noctis' neck, easing him back against the pillows as Ardyn made his way down. He closed his mouth around Noctis' cock in the same moment as he slid two slick fingers into him, and Noctis arched his back, shivering with sensation. 

" _More,_ " he demanded, and Ardyn obliged him with a chuckle. "Not _fingers,_ " Noctis further specified, annoyed, and Ardyn obliged him then too.

He thrust into Noctis _most_ satisfyingly, Noctis' legs wrapped around his waist, teeth bared as he growled his approval, clawed fingertips curled over Ardyn's shoulders. He gasped out a whine when he came, but Ardyn didn't stop. He shifted Noctis further onto his back, the new angle pinning his wings completely beneath him, and the vulnerability of the position was a different kind of thrill as Ardyn fucked him, too sensitive to come again, but it felt good, the raw pleasure of pressing fingers into a new bruise.

Ardyn kissed him when he came, bloodying himself on Noctis' teeth, the taste of it so rich and good that Noctis couldn't ask for anything more.

-

There were _two_ this time, and what was even more annoying was that they worked _together,_ so Noctis had to keep track of both the little mices scampering through the halls trying to confuse him and throw him off balance. Noctis snapped his teeth, thinking he'd finally caught one, but it turned out to be shadows again, a coat left at the end of a long hallway with a blood-soaked sleeve to catch his attention. 

"Come _out,_ " Noctis snarled. "I'll make it _quick_ for you."

There was sudden whiteness in the corridor as a blizzaga swept through it, and Noctis howled as it froze him where he stood. He _hated_ the cold. Fuck playing nice, he was going to make these two mice die so _slowly._

He twisted his head around as he heard movement, and it was the bigger mouse with another sphere in hand that smelled of cold.

"I'm going to _kill_ you," Noctis growled, flexing his claws.

The mouse, surprisingly, laughed. "Heard that before," it retorted.

" _Noct,_ " the other one said, from behind him. 

Noctis felt trapped, and he was _extremely unhappy_ about it, the cold still making his blood slow, so he couldn't move as quickly as he wanted. If he went for the blind little mouse, its friend was sure to throw the other sphere.

"We're here to help you—" 

"Heard _that_ before," Noctis mimicked its friend. He ducked and in the same instant swept his tail out to knock the blind one on its back. The sphere went off over him, but Noctis was prepared this time, and he blew flames into it the same instant the spell released, and a sudden heavy mist filled the corridor. It obscured both sight and scent, but Noctis could _hear_ better than the mousies, and he heard them swearing, pinpointed their exact locations.

He crept forward silently, light steps on the metal flooring. 

"Noctis!" one of them yelled suddenly, the sound echoing through the hallway so he lost them again. 

_Smart,_ Noctis thought, irritated. 

He changed tactics and headed back into a wider corridor; he wasn't going to chase after them blind.

-

Something flashed in his face, and Noctis growled, tail whipping out. It hit the floor with a clatter, and Noctis blinked in confusion when he recognized it as a camera. He turned it over in his hands, wondering why he suddenly felt _sad,_ what made him look through the archives on the viewscreen. It was the little blond mouse from the other day, and the two he was chasing now, but there was something _else_ —

Noctis clutched at his head as memories crowded to the surface.

Someone was laughing, clapping him on the back as they congratulated him on his first succesful warp. He was having ramen with Gladio, and Ignis was sighing, because there was no _art_ in making a bowl of noodles. They were fighting back to back, but then there was a burst of pain, Noctis _felt_ the behemoth's claws tearing through his skin, though the wound had healed without a scar. "You're my _best friend,_ " Prompto said, such a bright open expression on his guileless face, _but then he was shoving Noctis off a train,_ and it was just cold, _so cold,_ but Noctis couldn't transform, that was _bad,_ that was wrong, he couldn't—

"Noctis?" someone asked quietly from beside him.

Noctis looked up. " _Specs,_ " he answered.

Ignis smiled at him, though it was tentative, and that's when Noctis noticed the blood on his right arm, the way it was hanging uselessly at his side. "We thought we'd lost you."

"I'm right here," Noctis told him. He felt disjointed, like there were pieces of him that didn't fit against each other. There was a part of him that said that Ignis and Gladio were friends, a human concept for _pack_ , but there were other parts of him that only wanted to hunt and tear and _eat_. The mice were already injured; it wouldn't take much more to finish them off.

"Sorry we're late," Ignis said, interrupting Noctis' thoughts.

Gladio appeared out of a side corridor, looking warily between Noctis and Ignis, broadsword at the ready. "Can we get the hell out of here now?" 

"Noct?" Ignis asked. 

That was when Ardyn's voice came echoing over the loudspeaker. "What a _touching_ reunion."

Gladio immediately put his sword up, as if he could fight Ardyn off, though Ardyn was far away at the top of the keep in his control room. Noctis remembered playing with the controls, how there were cameras _everywhere,_ watching everyone and everything; the eye of the gods themselves. Ardyn had laughed as if he'd said something _clever,_ but Noctis hadn't gotten the joke.

He knew these corridors like the back of his hand, the quickest way out, if he _wanted_ out. 

Noctis wasn't sure he did. Gladio's sword twitched, and another memory floated to the surface.

"You can't _control_ it," Gladio had screamed at him. "You're a fucking _liability._ "

It was the first time Noctis had truly wanted to kill him, not as a game or a joke, but he'd wanted to taste Gladio's blood, hot from his veins, he'd wanted to _bleed him dry._

Ignis had stepped in then, too.

"It's too bad your reunion is _short_ one member," Ardyn's voice said over the intercom, and Noctis suddenly remembered the mousie from the other day screaming.

"I'm so sorry Noct," Prompto had whispered at the end, even as Noctis had bitten _into_ him.

Noctis clutched at the camera that was still in his hand, feeling the grooves of it against his fingers. He suddenly _did_ want out of the keep, into bright sunshine and open air. He ran without thinking through the corridors, not caring whether the two little mice were following him. He tore _through_ anything that dared stand in his way, and Ardyn was saying something over the intercom, his low dark laughter a familiar sound that made heat curl low in his belly, but Noctis wouldn't stop for that; he wouldn't stop for anything.

 

**IV.**

Gladio started the fire while Ignis directed him on which ingredients to add into the pot to make the stew they were having for dinner, and Noctis' nose twitched at the scent of the spices and herbs they sprinkled on the meat to make it palatable to their _human_ sensibilities. 

He paced the perimeter of the camp, listening for threats. 

It was uncomfortably cold in Niflheim, and Noctis drifted back to warm himself by the campfire, stucking his feet directly in the flames with a quiet sigh of pleasure. 

"Uh," Gladio said, pausing as he stirred the pot. He looked like he was about to say something more, his face making an odd expression, almost like _he_ was in pain, but then he just squared his jaw and turned back to Ignis who was handing him things and instructing him on the best way to blend them into the soup.

Noctis was given a bowl as well when it was done, and he peered at the steaming liquid curiously. 

It was hot, which was nice, but it smelled funny, the meat stringy and tough instead of still-quivering like he usually had it, when he fished a piece out on the end of a claw and put it in his mouth.

Gladio was smiling, murmuring something to Ignis before he handed Noctis a spoon. "Use this." 

It tasted weird, and it did nothing to satisfy instincts that wanted to _hunt_ —to bleed his prey and drink the blood hot from its gurgling throat—but Noctis ate it all up anyways since that was what seemed to be expected of him. He'd hunt later, when the mice were asleep.

-

Noctis snarled, wings flaring out to their full span. There was someone unfamiliar approaching their camp, and this human smelled of blood and metal and _death_.

" _Noctis Lucis Caelum,_ " the voice called out, a deep baritone. " _I demand satisfaction in blood_."

Noctis got into a fighting stance, growling. 

The human was quick with his long swords, but he wasn't faster than Noctis, and he couldn't see in the darkness like Noctis could, who circled them away from the firelight of the camp. He tore a long gash up the man's side, but that only slowed him down; it didn't stop him. He felt his darker instincts rise to the surface at the scent of blood on the air, the desire to crunch through bone with his teeth, to taste life as it fled the bodies of his prey.

His tail flashed out in the same movement as Noctis snapping his wings shut, distracting the _mouse_ who had to put his swords up to block, and giving Noctis the momentum to get inside its guard, sharp teeth ready to tear into its _throat._

" _Noct!_ " Ignis' voice called out, the half-second of distraction as he remembered again that humans weren't food—and Noctis was the one on his back with swords pointed at his throat.

"Marshal," Gladio greeted the man, giving him a short nod. Ignis echoed the greeting, and Noctis brushed the _Marshal_ 's swords aside as he got to his feet, stalking off so the little mice could chitter amongst themselves.

He wandered back into camp, unhappy and ill at ease. He'd almost had a kill, a _good_ one, not the minor daemons he'd been picking out near the far edges of the camp when the humans had gone to sleep and left Noctis on his own, but then he'd been reminded that _he wasn't supposed to kill._

"He's a _traitor_ ," the Marshal— _Cor,_ a memory provided him—was saying to Gladio.

"He's _struggling_ ," Ignis argued, though his voice was strained. "We all were. We can't blame him for having a weak moment when it was _our_ weaknesses that gave Ardyn the opportunity to exploit that."

Gladio and Cor both had things to say to that, voices rising, and Noctis shoved the empty pot out of the fire with a clatter, curling up in the heat of the flames himself. 

His wings wrapped around him as he drifted slowly off into sleep, though his tail remained positioned carefully on the cold hard ground; it would alert him to anyone that wanted to approach.

-

" _Prompto!_ " Noctis yelled, scattering the logs as he jumped to his feet, snarling as the edges of the dream faded away, the bright sunlit day of it replaced by the everlasting night of what was reality now.

He remembered things in brief snatches that made him _feel,_ but he didn't understand the feelings any more than he understood what he was doing here with the humans, why he didn't just go back to Ardyn, who would certainly have prey ready for him to hunt, intricate little games of chase that were _so_ satisfying when he finally caught them, snapping their bones open so he could drink down the marrow—

 _That's wrong_ , a childish _human_ voice said in his consciousness, and Noctis shook his wings out, sulking. 

"Noctis?" Ignis asked, peeking out of the tent in Noctis' direction though he could no longer see.

"I'm hungry," Noctis told him, pacing back and forth. "I'm going _hunting_." 

He leapt into the air before Ignis could offer an opinion on that, heading silently in the direction of the pack of voretooths he'd scented earlier, when he'd walked the perimeter as the mice made their camp.

-

Noctis returned to the camp bloodied and satiated, having decimated the entire pack of the daemons. It hadn't been a _difficult_ fight, but voretooths were vicious and wily, and there were enough of them that it'd gotten his blood hot, Noctis tearing into them with his claws and teeth as they jumped at him, trying to ram him off his feet or get their jaws on his vulnerable wings so they could bring him down.

He _could_ have just roasted the lot of them from the air with a single fiery breath, but that would have been _boring_.

Gladio grimaced at the sight of him, but he remained silent, jaw clenched shut. He went about taking the tent down, then cleaning up the rest of the camp. Everything would fit neatly into two travel bags that he and Ignis slung over their shoulders. 

The _other_ human, the one that had attacked Noctis, came up beside him, though he kept a careful distance. "Do you still have access to your Armiger?"

Noctis held out a hand, and a sleek little dagger shimmered into being, fitting perfectly against his palm. He flipped it over the back the back of his hand and then back into his arsenal. 

"Why don't you use them?" the Marshal asked, like it wasn't fucking obvious.

"Why _would_ I? I have claws."

Cor's face remained unchanged, but his scent took on a quality of nervousness. Not quite _fear,_ but close enough that it made Noctis smile.

"What's wrong, Cor? You hunt with the weapons best suited to you, and I hunt with the ones best suited to _me_."

Cor's hand moved towards the hilt of his swords, but he didn't draw them. "You're not the Noctis that I remember," he said, like it was an insult.

"I'm not the Noctis _I_ remember," Noctis informed him, with a wild laugh. 

He _did_ draw his swords when Noctis' wings snapped open, and it was almost cute, that the mousies thought they could supplement their blunt teeth with these implements of that made them believe they could be predators, when they weren't all just one step away from a violent death.

-

"Why are we stopping?" Cor asked when Gladio held up a hand and halted them in their trek.

Gladio looked uncomfortable, but he shrugged, nodding at Ignis. "There's—a lake."

Ignis immediately snapped his fingers, setting his pack down so he could rummage through it for something. He held it out triumphantly to Noctis, who realized it was a fishing rod. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Noctis nodded, taking the rod. It felt unfamiliar in his hands.

-

Ten minutes later, Noctis was bored as fuck. He _knew_ there were fish in the pond, he could _hear_ them moving around in the water, but they for the most part ignored his lure. When he _did_ catch them on it, they flapped and flailed and Noctis got a faceful of water the one time he'd managed to almost land one on the dock, but it'd escaped him in the aftermath of his shock at the cold water that had soaked him through.

Gladio and Ignis had both been laughing so hard they'd been in danger of falling off the landing, and even Cor had cracked a smile, though they all went stone-faced when Noctis turned around with a rumbling growl.

"Fuck _this_ ," Noctis finally snarled. 

His wings snapped wide, and he drew in a deep breath—when he let it out, it was molten flame, a fireball so hot the water evaporated immediately on contact, and the lake was turned instead into a dry crater that cracked open on a long fissure, lava bubbling to the surface where Noctis had called it.

" _Holy shit,_ " Gladio whistled from behind him.

Noctis stalked smugly over to pick out the largest fish that had been roasted in his fire, biting at the hot flesh of it. It wasn't as good as _meat_ , but it wasn't bad. Maybe "fishing" once in a while was a worthwhile venture. 

Ignis was turned away from him when he got back to the docks, conversing in a low voice with Gladio.

The taste of the fish soured in his mouth, but he didn't understand _why_.

-

Noctis felt on edge the whole time the others set up their camp, a tension in the air he couldn't quite parse. There weren't any daemons in the area—in fact, that in _itself_ was strange in this unending darkness, where the daemons roamed free and the humans scurried like mice into little hidey holes trying to prolong their survival just that much longer.

"There's something wrong here," Noctis said, his wings furling and unfurling as he tried to work out what this uneasy feeling was. "I'm gonna check it out."

Cor got up from his seat by the fire. "I'll accompany you." 

"Don't _bother,_ Marshal," Noctis told him. He took to the air. "You'll only _slow me down._ "

-

Noctis circled a strange clearing that somehow _called_ to him, though he couldn't see anything there. Was it a trap? But by what? Noctis landed on the edge of it, peering carefully into the darkness. He was the most dangerous predator here, except for—

He was slammed into the thick trunk of a tree, wings pinned as sharp teeth grazed over his throat, teasing him.

" _Ardyn,_ " Noctis said, and he was purring, arching back for it, so Ardyn could nose over the vulnerable skin there, mark him with his scent. It was so good and familiar that Noctis felt immediately at ease, more than at any other moment in the last few months since he'd stumbled out of Zegnautus keep to realize there was no _sun_ anymore, the world nothing but a long expanse of darkness.

Ardyn chuckled, stepping back when he was done. "How _are_ you enjoying your time with your _friends_ , Noctis?"

Noctis sniffed, moving forward so he could mouth over Ardyn's neck in turn, and Ardyn let him, curling a hand over his nape, rubbing down and over where his wings joined his back, easing the tension of the muscles there.

"They keep trying to make me _better,_ " Noctis answered, leaning into Ardyn's touches down his back, his clever fingers. "But I'm _already_ better."

Ardyn smiled at him. "They'll never understand you, Noctis. Don't you think it's time to come _home?_ "

Noctis leaned forward, wanting to agree, but there was a part of him that was screaming at him, _No!_ , that he'd left the keep to get away from Ardyn, he'd never really been _free_ enclosed in its towering walls, and it wasn't and _shouldn't be_ be his nature to hunt the humans who were _friends_ , not food. 

Noctis hesitated, and Ardyn sighed, like he was disappointed. He shoved Noctis back against the tree for a vicious kiss, bloodying his lips like always, and Noctis moaned at the taste.

"The offer _stands,_ " Ardyn murmured softly into his ear before he pulled away. "When _ever_ you want it, dear Noctis."

Noctis watched him go, fading into shadow, and there was an emptiness where his heart should've been, but he also knew now that what Ardyn filled it with wasn't what a heart was _supposed_ to be made of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plant smelled _good_ , strangely tantalizing, and Noctis plucked it up from the ground and took a long sniff, breathing it in. 
> 
> The next thing he was aware of was Cor's steely-eyed glare as he asked—" _What are you doing?_ "—while Noctis scraped his horns over the trunk of a tree, purring at the way it made all his nerves tingle, the sound and vibrations of it _pleasing_.
> 
> "I'm itching my horns, _Cor,_ " Noctis answered like it should be obvious. "They _itch_."
> 
> Cor looked perturbed, but that was nothing new. That was when Noctis noticed that Cor smelled good too; not like the plant, not even like prey, but strong and musky, the slightest bit like _Ardyn._ Noctis pounced, wings flaring to balance him when Cor was knocked flat on his back, not expecting the attack. Noctis leaned in, giggling. "Why _Cor,_ " he murmured, nipping at Cor's chin. "I didn't know you _felt_ that way about me."
> 
> Cor growled, trying to throw him off, but Noctis dug his claws in instead. 
> 
> "C'mon, Cor. Relax a little. I promise not to _eat_ you." 
> 
> Noctis nuzzled into his throat, laughing at how it made Cor tense completely, but he held still and let Noctis rub his scent into the skin there. That was nice—maybe the little mousies could learn to be pretend predators after all.
> 
> Noctis whined and ground his hips down, curling his claws over Cor's shoulders as a warning.
> 
> It didn't take long for the pleasure to gather, a warm wave under his skin, and Noctis raised his head and breathed out _fire,_ scorching the skies with it. He felt languid and slow after, _generous,_ as he carefully undid the buckles of Cor's belt with the very tips of his claws, tugged the fabric down after. 
> 
> "Stay _still,_ Cor," Noctis recommended him, then moved down and took Cor in his mouth.
> 
> He could _smell_ the fear, and that was good, making him purr and gentle himself, just the slightest, because this was _play,_ he gave a promise. Noctis let the edges of his teeth drag over Cor's cock, testing, and, _oh,_ Marshal. He did it again, laughing to himself, backing up when he smelled Cor almost ready, and teased his thumb over the sensitive flesh, watching as Cor came a mess on his usually pristine clothes. 
> 
> "That was _fun,_ Cor." Noctis grinned at him. "We should do it again sometime."


	2. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few scenes set during the time between II. and III.

It wasn't even—Noctis was just wandering the halls out of _boredom,_ when he heard it: a piercing desperate scream that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He honestly thought for a moment that his sudden _need_ to get into that room was because he wanted to help the person, whoever was being fucking tortured, but then he realized his teeth were sharp and he'd bitten almost through his bottom lip, smearing the blood over them before he was already sucking it off with an overeager enthusiasm at how almost _painfully_ good it was.

Noctis had a hand in his pants before he'd even finished the thought, grinding his palm against his cock for much needed relief. He came, but it wasn't enough, barely blunted the edge of his hunger.

He needed sex or murder, the pure satisfaction of tearing someone's _flesh_ open with his teeth, and he needed it _immediately._ He yanked his hand back out of his pants, licking greedily at the mess of his own come with a low moan, and let his head thump back against the cool wall. He could—go into that room and most probably murder every living soul in it, or he could—see if Ardyn was free.

-

Noctis tore the door off its hinges in his hurry to get to Ardyn, a grinding screech of metal, and the stupid little nobody Ardyn was meeting with gave him a wide-eyed look of shock that quickly flipped over into _terror_ when Noctis stuck claws straight into him, reveling in the smell of blood that filled the room, rich and beautifully decadent, his eyes sliding closed as he _purred_ —Noctis came back to his senses to realize he was on his knees over the dead body, licking blood off his fingers. There was a gaping hole in the little mouse's chest where his heart had been, before Noctis had ripped it out and made much better use of it.

"Feeling better, Noctis my dear?" Ardyn asked in a light voice, and Noctis moved towards it as if hypnotized.

He still _wanted,_ though he was satisfied enough at the moment not to just throw himself at Ardyn, shredding all the bits of clothing that were between Noctis and what he needed needed so badly. There was still a part of him that remembered that was poor form, and that Ardyn especially wouldn't appreciate it. Instead, Noctis started pulling his own clothes off as he slunk towards Ardyn, purring as he got closer; he could _smell_ that Ardyn was interested.

"I _need,_ " Noctis said, voice hoarse with desperation, and Ardyn laid cool fingertips on the underside of his chin, tipping Noctis' face up for a kiss.

"And so you shall _have,_ " Ardyn murmured softly, following through with a kiss that was as hot as his fingers had been cold, searing Noctis to his very bones. Ardyn gave the lightest tug that had Noctis sprawling in his lap, shuddering as he remembered touching himself in the hallway, how it hadn't been anywhere _near_ enough. He was hard again already, and he needed _everything_ that Ardyn had to give him.

-

Ardyn pushed him on his back on the bed, and Noctis luxuriated against the sheets that were _so_ soft, delicate and of higher quality than anything he'd ever slept on before. He rubbed his face against them, sighing in pleasure, waiting as Ardyn slipped his thick overcoat off and started on each layer beneath, building up the anticipation.

It was well worth the wait when he had Ardyn bare against him, the scratchy stubble of his chin scraping lightly over Noctis' neck, making him squirm.

" _Now,_ " Noctis demanded, having been made to wait _long_ enough. He dragged clawed hands down Ardyn's back, adding his own marks to the scars that littered Ardyn's skin, a kind of possessive hoarding desire that made him rumble in satisfaction at the thought of it.

Ardyn laughed in response, full of dark promise. " _Oh_ Noctis."

He thrust into Noctis deliberate and slow, building a rhythm, heat that curled under Noctis' skin until it was an inferno, and the wings that Noctis tried so hard to keep tucked away, inside where no one else could see them and know him for the monster that he was, ripped free as Noctis came, claws catching in the bedsheets as he tore deep gashes in the mattress.

-

"Shit," Noctis said, when he woke up.

He was in bed with Ardyn, but that was becoming a more and more common occurrence that at least meant he hadn't indulged himself in _other_ vices instead. His hands were still claws though the bloodlust had passed, his canines sharp enough to draw little drops of blood from his lips. Noctis rubbed at them, concentrating until he felt them melt away, back to how they were _supposed_ to be.

 _There,_ he thought. Everything was fine.

*

The thing wore Noct's face, but it had two dark shadowy wings that stretched out over its shoulders, reaching towards the sky. There were another two smaller ones framing its lower back, and wicked horns atop its head. Its eyes were red and slitted, sharp teeth peeking out of its mouth. It even had a tail, spiked with deadly promise, that twisted sinuously on the ground, as if waiting for its moment to strike.

"You're not _me,_ " Noct told it. "I would never do that to my _friends._ "

"Friends?" the thing asked, mouth curving in a sneer. "A funny word for the humans that _threw you to the wolves._ "

"You were _hurting_ people," Noct said, crossing his arms stubbornly. He'd seen what this other self had done, how it'd taken a bite out of Prompto before he together with Gladio and Ignis had shoved it over the side of the train.

" _Mice_ are meant to be _eaten,_ " the thing snarled, close enough that Noctis could smell its breath, _bloody._ "You'll see for yourself, sooner or _later._ "

*

Noctis was curled up on the couch draped in Ardyn's coat, tail tucked around himself. His eyes opened the thinnest of slits when Ardyn came through the door, but they closed again at seeing it was just _Ardyn,_ nothing threatening.

"I've brought you a present, Noctis," Ardyn said, smiling when Noctis' right eye opened, red and waiting.

He held out the container, showing Noctis the heart. It was still warm, freshly killed less than an hour past.

Noctis yawned, mouth full of sharp teeth. His tail unwound from where it was tucked against his side, and he sat up, interested by the prospect of a treat. He wasn't entirely awake, or at least the _Noctis_ part of him wasn't entirely awake, because Noctis never remembered these interludes in the morning.

Ardyn pulled out a sharp knife, slicing a sliver of flesh off the heart. He picked it up with his fingers and offered it forth.

The first time Ardyn had done this, Noctis had snatched the meat from his hand like a flash of lightning, then gone after the container, greedy for the tender meat and uncaring of Ardyn's presence or his part in it. These days Noctis waited, patient as Ardyn held out his fingers with the meat, purring as Ardyn set the container down so he could stroke lightly at the base of Noctis' horns with his other hand.

Noctis ate slowly, savouring the meat but also the attention, arching his neck for Ardyn to scritch over the underside of his chin as well.

When the treat was finished, Noctis curled back up to resume his sleep, whatever the still-human half of him dreamed of when the beast came out to play. He pulled Ardyn's coat up higher around himself, breathing in the scent of it.

-

Noctis blinked awake feeling oddly content, a strange peace instead of the usual tension he always had to fight through, to keep his instincts contained. The collar helped, but it wasn't _foolproof,_ and it didn't stop the urges that plagued even his dreams. He remembered the scent of blood, the taste of it in the back of his throat like something _tangible_ —Noctis shook his head, getting up.

It was a good day, and he was going to make the most of it.

*

His skin _itched._

He couldn't even practice with his swords because calling them out made the beast inside him press against the thin walls of his fraying self-control. Noctis could feel it pacing, like a caged animal, which was what he was, in essence.

It was getting harder and harder to remember why eating people was bad.

They smelled _so good,_ and it would be easy to just—swipe out with a claw, catch them up for a feast. 

Noctis found himself staring at the back of a scientist that was making their way down the halls, watching the little mouse as it scurried along its route. He followed it silently, marking the way so he could remember for later where their hidey holes were.

He pressed a hand to his mouth, feeling sharp teeth. That was...wrong. He shouldn't—what? He couldn't remember.

He was _hungry,_ and the little mousies squeaked so enticingly, their fear scent like the finest of wines, aged to perfection, _calling_ to him. 

Noctis stepped forward, haltingly, as if he was moving through molasses. Another step, then another. He reached the door, and it opened for him with a chime that brought to mind a memory of waiting for meals to be done—

The chime meant it was time to _eat._

-

He woke up feeling content and satiated, sticky with blood that made the beast inside him purr, stretching out its claws languidly as it curled up against him, as if it was trying to make him see how good it could be, if only they worked _together._

Noctis felt—he _should've_ felt sick, but he was so comfortable, all the tension of the last few weeks like a bad memory he no longer had to cling onto.

What _was_ wrong with eating people? They were just mice, they'd never done _him_ any favours. 

Noctis got slowly to his feet, flexing claws that were crusted with dried blood. 

He'd have a shower, and then a nap, and maybe if Ardyn wasn't busy with his games, running the little mice through his mazes littered with traps, they could have some _fun._

-

Noctis stretched out in Ardyn's lap on the throne.

The audiences were boring, but Ardyn petting him was nice, and if he got _particularly_ irked with a petitioner, Noctis got to eat them. 

He could _smell_ the fear from where he was arranged over Ardyn's legs like an ornament; there was still blood on floor from the last guy who hadn't run quickly enough, Noctis' wings sweeping him up so he landed squarely on top of the petitioner on the downstroke, the musical crunching sound his ribs had made when Noctis had crushed him to the floor.

It was more fun to eat them piece by piece when they were still alive to _scream,_ squealing all sorts of uninteresting things, but the blood ran hotter with their hearts still beating.

Noctis flexed his claws, watching the jewels Ardyn had adorned him with sparkle in the light. It was _nice,_ even nicer when Ardyn cleaned him up at the end of the day, washing the blood from him with water that was _boiling_ hot, superheated by Ardyn's magic, and then Ardyn would get out the nice oils, a different smell for each day. Noctis liked the woodsmoke one best, the deep burning scent of it, how Ardyn's hands smelled of it for hours after. 

Ardyn made sure Noctis was taken care of, in every essence, and Noctis rewarded Ardyn's care with reciprocal possessiveness.


	3. Five Times Noctis Loses It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _\+ 1 Time They Had To Push Him Off a Train_

**I.**

Noct had always had a questionable attention span, but he seemed even more out of it recently than usual. Sometimes he'd just snap his gaze to something and stare at it for minutes at a time, unwavering, and if anyone interrupted him he'd either play like he didn't know how much of a space-case he'd been acting, or he'd snarl at them angrily, like they'd interrupted something _important._

"Noct?" Prompto asked on one such occasion. "You okay? Do you need anyt—"

" _Prompto,_ " Noct said, as if seeing him for the first time. "You smell _really good._ " Noct got uncomfortably close and personal then, basically sticking his _face_ into Prompto's neck, but it wasn't a good feeling. It was the feeling a rabbit got when a cat had them between its paws, just waiting for the moment of judgement.

Prompto squirmed, wondering if Noct would be offended if he just ran and hid behind Gladio for awhile.

" _Noct,_ " Prompto tried again, more firmly. "Noct? You're scaring me."

Noct backed off suddenly, looking confused. "I'd never hurt you Prom," he said, like that was a clear fact and he didn't understand what Prompto was so worried about, even though Prompto could _see_ that Noct's teeth were sharper than they should be, and when he put fingers to his neck they came away red with blood.

"You must've got that on you from earlier," Noct shrugged, jerking his head to the side like looking away cost him great effort.

"Right," Prompto said slowly. "I'll just go and wash this off."

Noct flashed eyes at him that Prompto could swear were _crimson,_ but only for a moment. "You do that," he bit out, and they both carefully didn't mention the fact that there was blood on Noct's mouth too, like he'd been _licking it off_ Prompto's neck.

 

**II.**

Noctis stopped all of a sudden, leaning against the wall and breathing heavily. He looked like he was in pain, though he'd been walking fine moments before, even joking with Gladio about taking his jacket off if it was too hot, it wasn't like his jacket was _covering_ anything. He looked anything but jovial now, almost like he was on the verge of a transformation.

"Your highness?" Ignis inquired, with concern.

"You're too _loud,_ " Noctis hissed. His canines were peeking out of his mouth and now that he was closer, Ignis could see grooves in the wall where Noctis had scratched into it.

Ignis gentled his voice. "I'm sorry, Noctis," he said almost in a whisper. He thought quickly—Noctis hadn't reacted in such a manner when they'd visited the outposts or the diners, so it wasn't a matter of being around people, but perhaps the sheer _number_ of people? "Is it the market?" Ignis asked, hoping they could get to the bottom of this and find some way to help their prince.

" _Yes,_ " Noctis snarled. "No," he changed his mind a second later. "I don't _know._ "

Noctis' eyes were deep vermilion when he opened them, his pupils reduced to thin slits. 

"Ignis," he said, slowly as if he had to reach for each individual word through a thick fog. "Don't follow me."

With that, Noctis took off running in the opposite direction of where they'd been heading, away from all the _people,_ and Ignis felt a deep sense of relief in that at least Noctis had run instead of _attacking._ If he'd undergone a transformation in the marketplace, amidst all the civilians, Ignis doesn't know what they would've done.

 

**III.**

Noct wasn't getting any better at _controlling_ his transformations—in fact, it seemed to be getting worse by the day. They'd gone from starting out at a reasonable hour to having to wait until at least late afternoon, when the sun wasn't blazing down on them from above. It was impossible to move Noctis in the midday heat, dead to the world in the backseat of the Regalia, or even just anywhere that was a flat surface, his steps slowing until he'd curled up in the shade of a tree or in the hollow of a fallen log, whatever in the vicinity was available.

What was even worse was the _taste_ that Noct had developed for daemons.

He seemed almost energized as soon as darkness fell, not even needing the flashlight on his jacket to track whatever they were hunting. Just a few days ago, Noct had _torn into_ the falxfang they were fighting with the short daggers that had become his preferred weapon, and after they'd brought it down, he'd torn into it with his fucking _hands,_ stuffing his face with the raw meat as wings erupted from his back and cast dark shadows on the already dark ground.

"Let him eat," Ignis said, putting a hand on Gladio's shoulder to steer him away from where he'd been about to drag Noctis bodily off the corpse. "Better daemons than what _daemons_ hunt. " 

Gladio agreed with the sentiment, but it seemed Noct had stopped even _trying._ The animal instincts overtook him more often than not, and Noctis just _let_ them. 

Earlier in the afternoon, Gladio had almost gotten a claw through his eye when Noct startled awake from a dream, slashing them out in a wide arc. It was a good thing Gladio's secondary weapon was a shield, summoned into his hand a split-second before Noct's lethally sharp claws had slammed up against it.

 

**IV.**

Ravatogh was the kind of picturesque that was usually found only on postcards, something that looked almost _painted,_ it was so pretty. It was also fucking dangerous, if the bubbling lava pools were anything to go by. Prompto alternated between stepping carefully around them and also crouching low within a safe distance to get a great picture of the way the lava glowed against the surrounding rock, molten and burning.

He was so engrossed in looking at the pools himself that he didn't notice how much interest Noct was showing them as well. 

They all just stood staring at Noct took sudden a flying leap _into_ one of them.

" _Holy_ —"

"Noct???"

Two wickedly curving horns popped up from roughly where Noct had disappeared into the pool, and then Noct himself, moaning pleasurably as lava dripped down his skin, nothing simpler, as if the molten liquid were some kind of _mud bath_ for him. 

"Wow, Noct," Prompto gasped out, impressed and terrified both.

Noct gave him a dismissive look and disappeared back under, tiny little bubbles between the two horns the only evidence of his continued survival.

Gladio finally sighed, throwing a rock that pinged off one of the horns. "Let's go, Noct. We're here for the _tomb,_ not sightseeing or...bathing in lava..." he trailed off uncertainly.

Noct's head poked out again, glaring at them.

Prompto had the presence of mind to duck back enough of a distance that he didn't get splashed when Noct's tail whipped out, _spraying molten lava_ where they had been standing, and Gladio's shield came up to protect himself and Ignis, though he was going to need a new one after this experience, the current one smoking as the lava melted _through_ it in parts.

Noct snorted a laugh, though he finally deigned to get out, wings wrapping around himself in some semblance of modesty as all his clothes had been melted off. The lava hardened in the cool air like a second skin, flaking off in chunks when Noct shook himself out.

Prompto quickly snapped a picture, marveling at the sight.

 

**V.**

They were all on edge. It was less than a fortnight ago that Noct had _completely lost it_ and murdered an entire _group_ of hunters who'd accidentally gotten between him and his kill. The hunt had been simple enough, and they'd almost finished taking the group of vicious daemons out when the other hunter group had arrived at the same spot, and someone had taken a shot at _Noct,_ seeing him crouched over one of the bodies and mistaken him for the bounty.

Noct had roared, wings flaring out to their full span, and he'd ripped the offending hunter to shreds before any of them could move to intervene.

"Oh my _gods,_ " Prompto had said after, when Noct had then gone after the rest of the group, whether he'd decided that they were a threat to him as a whole, or just because he _could_ was anyone's guess.

The sight was grotesque, Noct covered in red _human_ blood as he stalked through the mess he'd made, and then he crouched down again and tasted the new meal he had before him. 

"This is—bad," Ignis said, observing carefully as Noct _yanked someone's arm off,_ and start biting into it like some kind of snack.

"No _shit,"_ Gladio agreed.

Prompto threw up.

-

"Perhaps Princess Lunafreya will be able to help ameliorate the effects of the infection," Ignis posited, checking the map again as Noct glanced distractedly at all the passing people, his eyes tinging with red in a way that made Prompto _extremely_ nervous. 

"The sooner we get to her, the better," Gladio grumbled, blocking Noct's line of sight to the crowd. "Eyes on the prize, prince."

-

Prompto was too far away to make out what was being said down by the harbour, but he was close enough to see what was happening, having maneuvered the weird Niflheim motorbike to a nearby rooftop after he'd dropped Noct off, sticking close to see if he could help him in any way. 

Ardyn showing up in his own personal airship had been a nasty surprise, further when he'd _murdered_ Lunafreya—

Prompto's hands had been clapped to his mouth in horror, _but the worst was yet to come._

Noct had charged at Ardyn in a rage, a fearsome vision in his half-transformed state, horns and wings and sharp claws that Prompto knew could rip through even _metal,_ but Ardyn seemed wholly unconcerned. He said something that made Noct freeze in place, and then he'd tossed Lunafreya's body at him, Noct catching it automatically on a reflex. 

He'd stared at the body for long moments, as if he still remembered who she was, but the _instincts_ eventually won out, and Noct started _eating her,_ ravenously devouring the tender flesh.

Ardyn moved close to pat him gently on the head, careful of the blood, before he disappeared back into his airship again.

" _Noct,_ " Prompto whispered, slumping down on the roof. 

He _couldn't_ —he wouldn't tell the others what he'd seen, he wouldn't even tell _Noct,_ who hardly ever remembered himself after he slipped back out of his rages. The one time they'd tried to bring up Noct's recent behaviour to him, he'd just looked at them like _they_ were the ones who'd gone crazy, like everything they were telling him was some kind of joke, because _he'd never act like that._

Prompto had come out of that experience wondering if they _were_ the ones that were overreacting, but then he remembered the way Noct had looked drenched in _human blood,_ and no, it was definitely Noct.

They were _losing_ him.

 

**+I.**

"Get _away_ from me," Noct said, shoving Prompto aside as he headed to the back of the train, perhaps to get some fresh air, or just to get away from the smell of so many _people_ in the compartment, crowded into a small space.

Prompto wondered if Noct _remembered_ what had happened with Luna.

It was hard to say when Noct had gone sullen and morose after he'd woken up the next day; Prompto was thankful that Noct's fight with Leviathan had at least washed all the blood off him. Ignis and Gladio didn't know the _truth_ of why no one had found her body.

-

Prompto was playing absently with his phone when someone brushed by him, and he looked up absently only to feel all his blood go cold.

 _Ardyn?_ Here? After what he'd done in Altissia, Prompto was ready to give the Chancellor a piece of his _mind._

Prompto ran after him into the between-compartment space of the train, grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him against the wall, gun in his face as Prompto felt all the tension of the last few weeks of wondering if Noct was going to flip out on him coalesce into uncharacteristic anger, directed now at someone who _deserved it._

" _What the fuck do you think you're doing?_ "

Ardyn looked at him in confusion. "Prompto? What—?"

Prompto shoved the gun hard into his chest. "Don't play _dumb_ with me. We both know what you did in Altissia."

Ardyn's face went blank, like he was going to spin another tale for them all to hear, to _trust_ him, they'd been so blind, but Prompto wasn't going to let him. "Whatever you're here for, you can just _stop it._ We don't need you and we never have, so you can just kindly _fuck off—"_

That was when Ardyn _snarled,_ lunging forward, only that sounded weirdly like _Noct_ in one of his rages?

"Oh _shit,_ " Prompto said, the illusion (?) shattering, and it _was_ Noct, eyes red like freshly spilled blood, claws out as he slammed Prompto back against the other wall. 

"Noct, that wasn't—" Prompto tried, but Noct only sneered, digging his claws in until they'd pierced Prompto's _flesh,_ pain flashing through him, and this was something Noct had never done before, even when he'd been terrifying.

"No, Prom, tell me how you _really_ feel," Noct said, voice almost a growl. "Isn't that what _best friends_ do?"

Prompto squeaked, shaking his head, but Noct wouldn't give him the chance to explain. 

"You don't need me? Well I don't need _you,_ " Noct hissed through too-sharp teeth, and he'd taken a bite out of Prompto's other shoulder, the one he wasn't pinning to the wall, before Prompto could even get a word out.

Prompto screamed in pain, shaking as the doors slid open again and Ignis and Gladio took in the scene before them.

"Wait—" Prompto whispered, even as both of them got their weapons out. "It's not what it—"

"You've gone too far, Noct," Gladio said, readying his sword.

"This is for your own good," Ignis added.

Ignis hit the button on the far wall with a dagger that slid the door open while Gladio swept his sword up in a close range that _pushed_ Noct away from Prompto and towards it, and then Ignis switched to a lance and _shoved him out of it._

"Noct!" Prompto yelled, but there was nothing but a white expanse beyond the door. 

He turned to the others. "How _could_ you, that wasn't his fault, Ardyn _did_ something, and I—" Prompto swallowed a sob. 

Ignis looked perturbed, but it was Gladio who answered. "You saw him, Prompto. He was flipping out. What do you think would've happened if he'd finished the transformation on a train full of people?"

It wouldn't have been _good,_ but this seemed worse, somehow. Noct was their _friend,_ and he now thought Prompto _hated_ him, would think that until they got off at the next stop and found their way to him again.

"I'm so sorry, Noct," Prompto whispered, though there was no one to hear it.


	4. Decadence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Redux.

Noctis woke up confused about where he was and how he'd gotten there, but not for long. He was trussed up like a fucking _animal,_ hands and feet bound with some kind of material that even the behemoth's strength couldn't break through, but the finishing touch that let him know exactly who'd put him in this getup was the fucking _muzzle_ that was locked over his mouth.

" _Ardyn,_ " he snarled, but it came out garbled.

Ardyn had the gall to smile at him. "Oh? Did you have a nice nap, _Noct?_ I trust the accomodations are to your liking?"

Noctis thrashed in the bonds, but there wasn't even the slightest give. "I'm going to _kill_ you," he promised, letting his eyes do the talking when the only sounds the muzzle let him make were incoherent and growling like the _animal_ Ardyn had made him out to be.

"I thought we could have a nice little _chat,_ just the two of us, though you _are_ sorely lacking in friends these days, aren't you, Noctis?"

Noctis growled again, _meaning_ it this time.

"For them to resort to _pushing you off a train—_ " Ardyn tsked, shaking his head.

Noctis felt his claws sharpening, though there was nothing for them to tear, only the flesh of his own palms, the smell of blood suddenly thick and heavy in the air.

"I would never treat you so callously, _Noctis,_ " Ardyn purred, moving closer now and cupping Noctis' face in his hands, a facsimile of care that was all the more cruel for how gentle and tender Ardyn was being. Noctis _knew_ it was a lie, but the animal instincts were soothed by Ardyn's thumbs stroking delicately over his cheeks, the strong earthy scent of him that filled Noctis' senses.

"Allow me," Ardyn murmured, soft as he moved his hands over Noctis' bare skin—"to demonstrate the depth of my regard for you, _your majesty._ "

Noctis shivered, not _wanting_ to lean into it, but it felt so nice. He'd had to keep his distance from his friends—were they _really_ his friends? a small niggling voice asked—since he'd gotten infected, and even before that, Noctis had never shared the kind of personal closeness that seemed to come naturally to other people with anyone.

It might have been because he was the prince, it might just have been Noctis himself.

Ardyn had never been shy about getting in his personal space though, uncaring of what Noctis _said_ he wanted.

He gasped when Ardyn closed fingers around his cock, though it wasn't entirely surprising, given the whole setup. Noctis found himself not _giving a shit_ for once—there was no one in his life left to remind him of _propriety,_ and Noctis just wanted to feel good, even if it was only for a moment. Even if it was with _Ardyn._

He rocked into the touch, as much as he could with the bindings, though that was nice too, in a way. He felt _cared for,_ someone else pulling the strings so Noctis didn't even have to think.

It was a dangerous game to be playing with Ardyn, who most likely only wanted to _use_ him. Use him for _what?_ that same little voice from before asked. Noctis was king in name only, and he'd lost the ring along with Lunafreya, the last inheritance of his royal lineage. He hadn't been able to call the Armiger since he'd gotten infected by the behemoth.

Noctis whined when Ardyn pulled away, but that was only fucking typical too, wasn't it? Ardyn had just wanted to _toy_ with him.

He moaned in surprise when Ardyn's hand returned, slick with something sweet-smelling. Noctis didn't struggle at being tugged upright against him, the heavy fabric of Ardyn's coat against the bare skin of his back a strange sensation, making Noctis feel strangely vulnerable, but that thought was lost to him as Ardyn stroked him _just_ right, his fingers longer and larger than Noctis' own.

Noctis felt his toes curling, but the moment he would have come, Ardyn backed off again.

Noctis growled menacingly, trying to rock his hips forwards. Why had Ardyn _stopped._

"You _are_ magnificent like this, Noctis," Ardyn murmured into his ear, trailing his fingers lightly over Noctis' cock now, not enough pressure to be _satisfying,_ though Noctis preened at the compliment, nuzzling into Ardyn's scarf, the delicious scent of it.

Ardyn laughed, the sound so rich and decadent, a low rumble that Noctis could feel vibrating through him.

Ardyn's fingers were curled over his cock again, and this time Ardyn gave him _exactly_ what he wanted, rough strokes from base to tip that had Noctis' breaths coming out in stuttering gasps, feeling the bonds dig into his skin as he writhed pleasurably against them.

Ardyn undid the muzzle and _kissed_ him before Noctis had registered the absence of it; he couldn't help surrendering himself to the sensations, still buzzing with how good he felt.

Ardyn smiled and rubbed his cheek against Noctis' before he kissed him again, the smooth slow timbre of his voice the nicest sound Noctis had ever heard, saying—"Your friends didn't appreciate you, Noctis, _but I do._ "

Noctis knew it was true.

-

(Noctis woke up to a soft sensation on his skin and realized it was the pads of Ardyn's finger tracing patterns over the curve of his arm, against the hollow of his wrist, down the flat of his thigh. He was curled in Ardyn's lap, still bound, but he found he didn't mind it.

Ardyn murmured—" _hungry,_ Noctis?"—and his stomach growled in response.

Ardyn chuckled in his ear, and the hand that had been perched on his hip, thumb stroking slow circles, moved away and came back with something that Ardyn held up to Noctis' lips. 

Noctis took it between his teeth, chewing delicately as he puzzled out what it was from the taste. 

It was _good,_ rich and decadent, familiar but not. Noctis parted his lips for another piece, licking at Ardyn's fingers when they were slow to pull away. The sweet taste lingered on them, like— _blood._

Noctis felt strangely unconcerned at the revelation, taking the next morsel that was offered to him without any abrupt moral compunctions.

It was _nice,_ being held in Ardyn's arms as he was fed what his body desired to eat, no recriminations or hostility over the recent direction of Noctis' appetite, and he was purring when he'd swallowed down the last piece of _human_ heart, sucking the remaining traces of blood off Ardyn's fingers. 

Ardyn shifted Noctis on his lap so he could kiss him, and Noctis fell into it, squirming restlessly in the bonds as he wanted _more._

He was aware in a distant way that he shouldn't want this with Ardyn—that he _hadn't_ wanted this with Ardyn, or even liked him, just a few hours ago. But Ardyn had been _nice,_ more than accomodating, feeding Noctis what he _needed_ to eat and having no qualms or hysterics about it, the way everyone else in the past few weeks had only yelled at him angrily or tried to keep him from being _what he was._

If _Ardyn_ could accept him where his own friends hadn't been able to . . . then who was Noctis to refuse?)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Malevolence](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10489065) by [dreamingcicadas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingcicadas/pseuds/dreamingcicadas)
  * [black and white](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10510332) by [dreamingcicadas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamingcicadas/pseuds/dreamingcicadas)




End file.
